A taste of India

This weekend is Mela 2009, a celebration of Indian Culture in Elder Park.

"When the gates open on the annual Mela, organised by the Indian Australian Association of South Australia, Elder Park will burst with the colour, movement and flavours of the culturally diverse subcontinent.”

Make your way to Adelaide’s beautiful Elder Park by the River Torrens on King William Street, just north of Festival Theatre. Click here for a map

The festivities promise fun for all ages - Indian food, dancing, displays, a shopping bazaar, and classical, folk and Bollywood music.

When: Saturday, March 28, 2009

Where: Elder Park, Adelaide

Opening times: 11am to 11pm

Autumn-spring – a great time of year!

"Where flowers bloom so does hope ... "
Lady Bird Johnson

We hope you are enjoying the wonderful autumn weather we’re having at the moment. And we are all looking forward to the Easter weekend when many Australians go to church, get together with friends and eat the customary foods for that time of year.

Of course in most of your home countries your friends are enjoying spring after what has been for many people a long cold winter! We searched the internet to find out if there were any festivals associated with spring in the northern hemisphere and were amazed at how many celebrations we found. Here are just a few…

The Prague Spring International Music Festival in Czechoslovakia.

The Annual International Spring Festival and the Festival of world class music in Newbury both in the USA.

The Baltic Spring Festivals in Lithuania, Latvia & Estonia

The Beijing International Kite Festival

The International Spring Festival in Peru

The Annual Spring Film Festival in Hawaii

An International Buddhist Festival – the Kadampa Festival

The 'Spring Festival' in Kuwait

Spring Festivals in India

Soonchunhyang spring festival in Korea

And we wondered what YOU usually do around this time of year when you are celebrating at home? Please tell us a few of YOUR stories.

Regards

The Blog Team

Clipsal 500 car race

The Clipsal 500 car race begins next Friday 19th March, and it goes for four days. The car race is held on the streets of Adelaide in the eastern parklands and roads. Preparations for it have already started, and roads are starting to be blocked off.

Traffic will be slow and congested and you may need to leave home early to get to your placement on time.

More information can be found on the Clipsal 500 Adelaide 2009 website.

Regards,
The Blog Team

Clinical tips from Tina to help you with your placement

Here is a guide to clinicians' expectations of students undertaking a clinical placement

• Understand the nursing context and the work you are involved in
• Know when to ask for help
• Know where to go for help
• Recognise your own limitations and deficits
• Demonstrate commitment to the nursing team
• Be enthusiastic, motivated and positive
• Have time management skills
• Take advantage of learning opportunities
• Be open to suggestions and guidance that is offered
• Have good interpersonal skills
• Understand the importance of accurate documentation
• Practise according to occupational health and safety guidelines

Tips on how you can meet patient expectations

• Make sure that you are prepared before you approach a patient
• When you are doing a procedure, review it prior to carrying it out. Discuss with mentor, ask as many questions as necessary before approaching patient
• Admit when you are out of your depth. Find someone who can assist. Watch and learn
• Involve patients in their own care
• Listen carefully and learn from your patients
• Respect patients' privacy
• Be honest about what you can and can't do

Regards,
Tina and the Blog Team

Writing that Journal

We hope that your placement is going well and that you're learning a lot about the Australian health system.

We thought it would be a good idea this week to focus on your reflective journal that is part of the assessment. Your journal entries may be well under way, but we thought we'd send you a link to the guide about writing journals to remind you of some of the important aspects of writing good entries. If you have any questions or suggestions about writing reflective journals, please post them to this blog or email Tina or Bev Kokkinn (Learning Adviser).

Regards

The Blog Team